Here are a few of our favorite covers of the women who make the world go ’round!
Whose Turn?
M. Coburn Whitmore
January 21, 1950
Who’s going to get up and give the baby her bottle and a new deal in underwear? Mom and dad dearly love their little alarm clock, but they do wish that babies came equipped with a lever by which they could be set, the night before, to ring at 7:30 a.m. instead of at one of the more unholy hours. Mom and dad will battle it out for a few more howling minutes to see which one will totter out of bed and do the honors.
Checklist for Summer Camp
Ben Kimberly Prins
June 24, 1961
While our young camper dreams of fires and “bug juice” (that favorite beverage of camp mess halls), mom is willing to forego a few hours of sleep in exchange for four weeks of boylessness. Tomorrow morning mom will be informed by her son that, while most of the paraphernalia assembled here by artist Ben Prins is okay, a camper has not more use for washcloths and a pincushion than he was for silk pajamas and an arithmetic book. Why, with the space they occupy her could make room for important stuff such as candy bars, a whittling knife, and, for a little fun after lights-out, his rubber snake and a package or two of sneezing powder.
Chicks in Incubator
Stevan Dohanos
March 5, 1949
Sack Full of Trouble
Richard Sargent
April 14, 1956
Dessert Cart
Stevan Dohanos
January 1, 1955
Rain-out Birthday Party
Stevan Dohanos
May 22, 1954
[From the editors of the May 22, 1954 issue] Rather than be depressed by Mr. Dohanos’ soggy scene, note how the deluge has improved the situation. Any birthday party is fun, even if nothing more happens than the duly expected games, grub and slight fights between incompatible little boys. But to arrange for the routine confusion to be stepped up into the joyous chaos of a garden party dispersed by a cloudburst, that’s a charming innovation indeed. And how delightful it is to throw a party in or into a garage, where tools and other weapons are available for favors as well as paper hats, where joy can he so much more unconfined than in an ordinary living-room hullabaloo. Even that pony thinks, Bless the rain—no more work. Fortunately, there isn’t space here for what mother thinks.
Leaving Grocery in Rain
Amos Sewell
April 24, 1954
Dr. and the Dog
Richard Sargent
November 21, 1953
Our furry friend is planning to either bite the doctor for causing pain to his little master or lick his mustache; there’s no way of knowing which way it will go. Old-fashioned, pre-needle doctors were the smart ones; they prescribed a treatment and departed forthwith, leaving mother holding the spoon, the dog, and the kicking patient.
Out of Ice Cream
Amos Sewell
June 27, 1953
Boyfriend’s Baby Pictures
George Hughes
March 14, 1953
Crashing Mom’s Card Party
Richard Sargent
December 20, 1952
Space Traveller
Amos Sewell
November 8, 1952
Home for Thanksgiving
Norman Rockwell
November 24, 1945
Norman Rockwell went to Maine for this 1945 cover, harboring the belief that that state boasted the most homelike kitchens to be found. The artist did his preliminary sketches in Maine and returned to Vermont for his model search. The result: Dick Hagelberg, who was a bombardier with 65 missions over Germany to his credit, is happily pulling K.P. duty with his real-life mother.
Growing Boy
Frances Tipton Hunter
September 16, 1939
Frances Tipton Hunter was one of the most nationally recognized artists in Post history, depicting childhood in a style similar to Norman Rockwell. Most kids grow about 2 inches each year, so this mother likely has a lot of work ahead of her.